


Cypress Leaves and Narcissus Flowers

by rokella



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: F/M, hades just wants a friend, persephone wants freedom, probably the fluffiest version of this myth you’ll ever read, short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 06:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20286871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rokella/pseuds/rokella
Summary: a retelling of the story of hades and persephone and how they met.





	Cypress Leaves and Narcissus Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> a retelling of the classic myth, but this time with childlike innocence and friendship between polar opposites.
> 
> in no way is this supposed to be professional or serious. i wrote this for fun + to get out of writer’s block.
> 
> short and VERY sweet.

No one could’ve seen it coming. Well, maybe an oracle, but they wouldn’t have told unless someone asked. So no one would’ve asked an oracle if this was coming, so they didn’t see it coming.

The gods of Greece - and the people who worship them - have the same image of the young goddess Kore. A beautiful, innocent, and kind young goddess known for her flowers that spread across the Grecian hills. However, she is rarely seen due to the protectiveness of her mother, Demeter. The mother-daughter duo spend their days on the Earth, working for humans and helping their harvests prosper. 

Besides at her mother’s side, the young Kore can be found in the forests surrounding her home, either surrounded by other nature deities or sneaking away from them to explore on her own. For that is her true self: too curious for her own good. Her curiosity has led her to finding many secrets in the woods. A tiny spring, where she has practiced growing many new flowers away from the pressures of her mother and the others. Near the spring is a cave that seems to never end, so she hasn’t dared to explore it yet. For another day, she tells herself.

It’s during one of her many days spent at the spring where she meets a god. Living a very sheltered life, knowing only a handful of people, she has a right to be surprised to see a new face. And a man at that! Her mother kept her hidden all these years to protect her against the gods of Olympus, so who would’ve thought that one would find her?

He’s different, she realizes. With sharp and cold features that are opposite to her soft and warm ones. Dark, unkempt hair and piercing blue eyes watch her as she looks at him.

“Do I know you?” She asks, trying to sound more polite than curious.

He gives her a smile that makes her blush. “I don’t believe so. I am Aidoneus.”

He watched her grass green eyes cast down and flick back and forth, almost trying to think of who he was before looking back up at him.

“The name doesn’t sound familiar; I’m sorry. My name is Kore. How did you find this place?” She introduces herself before becoming curious. 

In truth, the entrance to his home territory, the Underworld, was through the cave. It had been so long since he used it, however, because he rarely came up to the surface. But he had work to take care of and decided to use the cave to make his way back to his home. He didn’t even know that goddesses lived around the area, let alone beautiful ones like Kore.

But does he tell the truth, or lie to her? He looks at her face at sees her innocent mask covering her curious true self. Does he put on a mask as well?

She sighs. “You don’t have to tell me, if you want. I know my curiosity isn’t always good.”

Ah, screw it, he decides. “My home is through the cave right over there.” Why did he do that?

Her eyes light up so much that they almost glow. He realizes then that he wants to see that expression for the rest of time. “Oh! I’ve been wondering what lay in that cavern. How deep does it go?” 

She has taken off her mask, so he shall not put his on. “Down to the Underworld,” he admits.

Her eyebrows raise in surprise, and her petite mouth gapes open. “You rule Hades? You’re Hades?”

“Is that what it is called these days? Is that what  _ I _ am called these days?” He gives her a side smile that shows he isn’t angry. “Does this make you scared of me?”

Kore shakes her head in disagreement. “It makes me want to befriend you,” she says, shocking him and herself a little bit. When did interest turn into bravery?

“Is that so, little goddess?” He chuckles out his question, and she nods.

She sits down on the grass and places her bare feet in the spring. She pats the spot next to her and tells Aidoneus to join her on the ground. “Tell me stories of your home. I bet it’s beautiful.”

And he did. They talked until sundown, when Kore had to return home or “face the wrath of her mother”. The two parted for the night, swearing to meet at the same place on another day.

Two weeks had passed before they got to meet again. It was closing in on the time of the human harvest, which Kore and her mother helped the humans achieve. She had gone to the spring to wash off the sweat and dirt of hard work. So tired, once she dried herself off and put her clothing back on, she fell asleep on the edge of the spring.

Aidoneus had visited the spring every day since the two of them met, hoping to cross paths with the beautiful Kore again. He didn’t want to like her as much as he did, but he craved her warmth and her friendship. It had been so long since another god had enjoyed his company, and he didn’t want to let her go.

So when he arrived at the spring to find her asleep, he gave a sad smile and decided to give her a gift. A flower crown, made from the leaves of the cypress tree and narcissus flowers. Beautiful, but with an aura of unusual sadness. He kissed her forehead before returning to the Underworld. 

When she awoke, she felt the crown on her head and the ghost of his kiss and smiled. She whispered a thank you at the entrance of the cave before making her way back to her mother.

Over the next couple of weeks, the pair met almost every day. While they looked like complete opposites, they had a lot in common with each other and could tell the other anything. Aidoneus, by this point, was absolutely smitten with Kore. He couldn’t get her beautiful smile out of his head and her kindness to everything she saw drew him in like a moth to flame. She didn’t realize the effect she had on him; he would move mountains to please her. 

During this time period, Demeter watched her daughter in suspicion. Kore was changing, but Demeter couldn’t tell why. The usually happy girl seemed happier and was often seen with a flower Demeter recognized far too well. Narcissus, a symbol of Hades.

She had to send him a message to stay away from her daughter. How dare he corrupt her mind? Who knows what kind of things they’ve been doing, or where they’ve been meeting? She requests the nymphs to never leave Kore’s side, with threats of Hades looming around the flower goddess. 

A week of being constantly followed by the nymphs had Kore realizing that her mother found out about her secret friendship with Aidoneus. She had to do something to protect it, for he gave her a sense of freedom that she had never known before.

One night, she snuck out of her home and ran to the spring. She had to see him and tell him what happened. Reaching the cave, she screamed his name and heard it echo across the walls and down deep into the darkness. 

By the time he reached her, she was hysterical. Her words were covered by sobs and he took her into his arms and soothed her. 

“What’s wrong, my little goddess?” He whispered, as the two separated to get a better look at each other.

“My mother somehow found out about us and I don’t know what to do. I’m being constantly surrounded by nymphs and the only time I can be by myself is under night. I’m scared, Aidoneus,” she cried, once again burying herself into his embrace.

“Everything happens for a reason, Kore,” was his answer. In truth, he was just as scared as her. Demeter may look kind, but her rage could end the lives of hundreds. 

Suddenly, Kore got an idea. “Take me to the Underworld.”

He gazed upon her in shock. “Do you understand what that means? Once you enter, it will be very difficult - almost impossible - for you to leave.”

She nods her head as she wipes the last of her tears from her eyes. Her breaths became more steady as he watched her slowly fall asleep. Only Kore would be able to end up asleep at a time like this, he thought as he lifted her up.

He looked up at Selene’s moon, then behind him. A figure stood in the distance, watching the scene at hand. Whoever it was watched him carry Kore into the Underworld. 

In the morning, as Demeter and the nymphs frantically searched for Kore, they found the secret spring and a large patch of narcissus flowers around the end of the spring and the entrance to the cave. 

**Author's Note:**

> yes, i know i’m glorifying this myth, but i wanted to create a version of my own because im a (not-so) secret greek myth fanatic


End file.
